Criminal Justice News

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Air Force Officials Aim to Eliminate Sexual Assault

by Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service

1/23/2013 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Following
a nine-month investigation into sexual misconduct at Joint Base San
Antonio-Lackland in San Antonio, the Air Force has implemented a
comprehensive program aimed at eliminating sexual assault, senior Air
Force leaders told Congress today.

Air Force Chief Of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Air Force Gen.
Edward A. Rice Jr., the commander of the service's Air Education and
Training Command, spoke before the House Armed Services Committee about
the Air Force's recently completed internal investigation.

Describing the crimes as "stunning," Welsh said there could be no
excuses. "There's no justifiable explanation, and there is no way we can
allow this to happen again," he said.

"The Air Force goal for sexual assault is not simply to lower the
number. The goal is zero," Welsh added. "It's the only acceptable
objective. The impact on every victim, their family, their friends [and]
the other people in their unit is heart-wrenching, and attacking this
cancer is a full-time job, and we are giving it our full attention."

The effort includes an Air Force-wide health and welfare inspection,
held in December, the results of which are publicly available, Welsh
said. Also last month, Welsh used his monthly "Letter to Airmen" to
reinforce "that obscene, vulgar or disrespectful images, songs or
so-called 'traditions' are not part of our heritage and will not be
accepted as part of our culture."

In addition, a Recruiting Education and Training Oversight Council will
be established, Rice said, to review and advise any current or future
actions undertaken to eliminate sexual assault. The council also will
provide advice on strategic issues affecting airman safety and the
maintenance of good order and discipline in basic military training, he
added.

More than 7,700 interviews were conducted as part of the investigation,
Rice said. When contact information was available, anyone who graduated
from basic military training within the past 10 years was interviewed,
he added.
"Although we have conducted a 10-year look back, the vast majority of
the allegations are of alleged misconduct that occurred over the past
three years," Rice said.

Allegations ranged from sexual assault to inappropriate contact with
former students, Rice said. Each victim or alleged victim was offered
"the full range of available victim support services," he added.

Of the 855 personnel assigned as military training instructors during
this three-year period, 32 -- less than 4 percent -- have been
disciplined or are now under investigation, Rice said.

"I believe it is important to underscore that the vast majority of our
instructors served with distinction in a very demanding duty
assignment," Rice said. "That said, it is completely unacceptable to us
that so many of our instructors have committed crimes or violated our
policies, and we clearly failed in our responsibility to maintain good
order and discipline among too many of our instructors in basic military
training."

Maintaining good order and discipline is one of the most important and
fundamental responsibilities of command, Rice said, one that "cannot be
delegated."

With that in mind, Air Force officials are focusing their efforts on
helping commanders meet this "fundamental responsibility," he said.

"The Air Force has recommitted itself to ensuring that every airman is
treated with respect," Welsh said. "It's not a one-time fix. It has to
be a way of life."

With "no room for misunderstanding," Welsh said, every Air Force
supervisor and commander must be actively engaged in this effort. "If
they don't get actively engaged, I consider them part of the problem,"
he added.

While it is still early, Rice said, it appears that the Air Force's
efforts are making an impact. There have been no reports of sexual
misconduct in basic military training in the past seven months, he
noted. "We know this is not the beginning of the end, but the end of the
beginning of a journey that can never end," he said.

"The American people trust us with their greatest treasure: their sons
and daughters," Welsh said. "They expect us to lead them with honor, to
value each of them, and to treat them as if they were our own. We do not
have a greater responsibility than that.

"I will never stop attacking this problem. ... The United States Air
Force leadership team will never quit working to eliminate this horrible
crime from the ranks of our Air Force," he said.